The Hong Kong "Good Citizen Award 2023 Presentation Ceremony" was held on March 17, with a total of 80 citizens receiving awards. Among them, the oldest "Good Citizen" is 84-year-old retired grandmother Li Zhongmei of Hong Kong.

　　A "great son" falls from the sky

　　On that day, Li Zhongmei recalled in an interview with a China News Service reporter that in November 2022 she received a call from a scammer who falsely claimed to be her son, saying he had just changed his mobile phone number and asking Li Zhongmei to call him back. Li Zhongmei said that she usually often listens to the radio and reads newspapers, has learned a lot of anti-fraud information, and was on guard in advance; moreover, the "son" on the phone spoke with an accent, and she immediately realized that she had encountered a scammer. "Many scammers like to cheat elderly people, and once they cheat them they cheat them out of tens of thousands, even their coffin savings are all cheated away."

　　After confirming that this was not her son, Li Zhongmei simply turned the tables and pretended on the phone to be deceived. She first falsely claimed that she did not have a mobile phone, and then complained to the "son" that during the pandemic she needed a mobile phone to go out to eat, and demanded that the "son" buy her one. The "son" agreed verbally and immediately hung up the phone.

　　Anti-fraud is not easy

　　Who would have thought that just three days later, the scammer called Li Zhongmei again, falsely claiming to be detained at a police station and urgently in need of HK$50,000 in bail. Li Zhongmei said that she first asked the other party why he had been arrested; the scammer said he had committed an offense because of drunkenness, and that as long as he paid this bail the criminal record could be cleared, and a friend would come to Li Zhongmei to collect the money.

　　Li Zhongmei came up with a plan. She falsely claimed that there was no cash at home, and the scammer immediately told her to go to the bank to withdraw money, and even considerately told her how to respond to the bank clerk's questions. Li Zhongmei pretended to agree and arranged to meet the scammer at a restaurant, then hung up the phone and immediately called the police.

　　Li Zhongmei mentioned that she went to the appointment at the agreed time carrying prop banknotes prepared by the police. Soon afterward a suspect wearing a white coat arrived. When the suspect collected the money, the police who had been lying in ambush carried out an on-the-spot arrest. The suspect was subsequently convicted of obtaining property by deception and sentenced to a detention center.

　　Li Zhongmei said that when she met the scammer she was actually somewhat afraid, but fortunately she was wearing a mask at the time and the police had also arranged for people to lie in ambush at the scene, so she still calmly dealt with the scammer and helped the police successfully catch him.

　　In fact, this was not the ** time Li Zhongmei had dealt with a scammer in this way. She had received similar scam calls before, and each time she would promptly call the police. "We can't always be the ones cheated by scammers; we should also let scammers get a taste of being cheated." Regarding this award, Li Zhongmei said she felt very honored, and she called on citizens to remain vigilant at all times and to promptly call the police when they encounter scammers.

　　"Many of my students say that seeing me win an award many years after graduation is like sitting in the classroom again listening to me teach," Li Zhongmei said with a smile. It turns out that before retiring, Li Zhongmei was a teacher at Hong Kong Pooi To Primary School and also served as the dean of studies. After retiring, she was unwilling to stay idle at home, and at the age of 75 "re-entered the workforce" to become a contract actor; she can be seen in hit film and television dramas such as "Come Home Love," "The Stuntman" and "Birth of a Legend." Li Zhongmei said that she became a contract actor because she wanted to satisfy her craving for acting, and that this award-winning experience might perhaps become the subject of a TV drama in the future. She quite enjoys this job, and from time to time she also shares behind-the-scenes photos from filming on her social media accounts.